Santa Claus is doling out some extra credit this holiday season to good boys and girls of all ages who bring the gift of non-perishable food to CherryVale Mall during November and December. CherryVale Mall is teaming up with Santa and his elves to collect food and financial donations for northern Illinois communities’ neediest families. As part of Santa Feeds America SM, the largest nationwide canned food drive ever conducted by a shopping center developer, CherryVale Mall is joining more than 80 CBL properties across the country to collect non-perishable food for distribution through local food banks. Donations will benefit local hungry.

The Santa Feeds America campaign, conducted in partnership with WHY (World Hunger Year), is designed to provide meals to those who need them most and stock empty cupboards across the nation this holiday season. As a result of the strained economy, hunger relief organizations are striving to meet greater demand for aid with fewer resources than ever before. More than 36.2 million Americans, including more than 12 million children and nearly 3 million seniors, are in need of food assistance, and the need is growing.

Many families must choose between paying bills and putting food on the table. During this season of giving, CherryVale Mall will work with Northern Illinois Food Bank to promote hunger relief to the tens of thousands of shoppers that visit our property,

said Mark Peterson, general manager.
Through Santa Feeds America, we will help ensure families that need it most have a holiday meal to share and food in their pantry.

CherryVale Mall is asking shoppers, including families visiting Santa, to bring their food donations to the Santa Set. Cherry Hill Photo, an industry leader in capturing the Santa photo experience, will provide a discount on Family Photo Packages to all donors. Shoppers are not required to visit Santa or have their photo taken to make their donation. Northern Illinois Food Bank will use all food and monetary donations to serve families in the northern Illinois communities, which includes 13 counties.

Due to the struggling economy and job loss, NIFB has seen a 35 percent increase of families visiting our agencies. The unemployment rate in Winnebago County is at 15.5 percent, which is the highest in Illinois and more than double what it was last year,

said Shannon Thompson, promotions manager for Northern Illinois Food Bank.
With so many in need, we ar hoping for as much community support as possible.

Food donations can be made from Nov. 14, Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., through Christmas Eve at the Santa Set in the Center Court.

More information about Santa Feeds America is available on CBL’s Web site, www.cblproperties.com.

About WHY (World Hunger Year)

WHY is a leading advocate for innovative, community-based solutions to hunger and poverty. WHY challenges society to confront these problems by advancing models that create self-reliance, economic justice, and equal access to nutritious and affordable food. Annually, 25 million Americans rely on soup kitchens, food pantries and food banks for food for themselves and their families. WHY is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that envisions a world without hunger or poverty. WHY believes solutions to hunger and poverty can be found at the grassroots level through programs and policies that promote self-reliance, economic justice, and community food security. For more information, visit www.WHYHunger.org.

About Northern Illinois Food Bank

Northern Illinois Food Bank (NIFB) is a nonprofit organization that provides food to all those in need through its 520 partner agencies in the following 13 counties: Boone, DeKalb, DuPage, Grundy, Kane, Kankakee, Kendall, Lake, McHenry, Ogle, Stephenson, Will and Winnebago. NIFB acquires, gathers, handles and distributes donated government and purchased food to more than 50,000 different people each week through local food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters, youth activity centers and other food assistance sites. In Fiscal Year 2009, NIFB distributed more than 27 million pounds of food.